bow tie

American  

[boh] / boʊ /

noun

bow ties plural

1. a small necktie tied in a bow at the collar.

2. a sweet roll or Danish pastry having a shape similar to that of a bow tie or butterfly.

---

bow tie British  

/ bəʊ /

noun

1. a man's tie tied in a bow, now chiefly in plain black for formal evening wear

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bow ties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bow tie

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

I know that sounds super baseball pretentious, like I should be wearing a straw hat and a bow tie, but I don’t care.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Director Spike Lee, with wife Tonya Lewis Lee, showed his distinctive style with a suit featuring a purple fedora hat and matching bow tie, and a bag made of silver cassettes.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

Dressed in a red bow tie and holding a poster reading "I want to get married", Bazhanov caught the eye of the longtime ruler and got his chance.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

Ditching the bow tie in favor of something more casual is fitting for an artist who was no longer at the highest levels of pop culture validation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025

He is dressed in black slacks, a white shirt, and a red bow tie.

From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson